


in languor dreams of death

by MiniNephthys



Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 13:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8016604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dream dissipates, not at all gently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in languor dreams of death

At first, it just wasn’t safe to leave town, not even to go as far as the Incarners’ Market. Monsters lurked everywhere, and the ground underneath your feet could fall away as you walked.

But that was fine, because there wasn’t much of anywhere to go anyway. Seaside and Dragons’ Peak had already been warped beyond recognition, and Darcover Town wasn’t much for sightseeing even when it was normal. Everyone had enough food at home, and the vegetables growing there still looked like vegetables, mostly. So there wasn’t any reason to panic.

But, one day when Russell wakes up, Yumi had been found dead in her bedroom earlier that morning.

“Strangulation,” Kantera declares, as if there’s anyone who couldn’t see the marks around her neck and make the connection. “These were left by human hands.”

“Wh-who would do a thing like that to Yumi?” Mireille asks. “What an awful way to kill someone…”

Her expression, too, is an awful one: one of wide-eyed horror and fear. It’s not at all a fit for someone so confident and brave; Russell doesn’t remember seeing it on her before.

Except for that one time.

“I don’t know yet, but what’s clear is that we have a killer in the town.” Saxon sounds appropriately grave. “Everyone must be on constant alert until they are caught.”

“Mister mayor, everyone loved Yumi,” Gardenia says. “Is it even possible that somebody in the town killed her? I mean, nobody here would have a motive, right?”

Saxon sighs. “I know how you feel, and I don’t want to think about it… but with the roads being so treacherous, it’s unlikely that someone else snuck into our town. Someone here must be responsible for this.”

Russell stares into Yumi’s unblinking eyes and says nothing.

* * *

Mireille’s mangled body is found by her house the next morning, pushed from the roof of her home. They search for Saxon to give him the news, but he’s nowhere to be found in the town.

“We could try going out to look for him,” Tabasa says. “At least as far as the market?”

Dogma eyes the darkness that marks the division between town and road, and shakes his head. “It’s much too dangerous. We’ve lost three people in two days: we don’t need to lose four or more.”

“But if we just wait here for the murderer to come around, it makes us sitting ducks!” Cody says. “We’ve gotta do something!”

“Maybe the night patrol again?” Gardenia says. “It worked super well the last time we had a monster to beat.”

Russell tries not to wince.

Later that day, he asks the Informant, “What happened to Saxon?”

“You weren’t responsible for his death, and you don’t feel responsible for it like with Yumi,” the Informant replies. “So instead of recreating his death to pile more guilt onto you, your dream granted him a quick disappearance. It’s pretty merciful compared to what everyone else is getting, isn’t it?”

Russell nods. He thought it might be something like that. “Is there anything I can do for them now?”

“...You already know the answer to that,” the Informant says, his smile slipping away. “It’s long past when you could have simply woken up from your dream. You made your choice, and now you’ll have to see through the consequences to the very end.”

* * *

“He looks so peaceful,” Cody says of Kantera’s body. Indeed he does - there’s a smile on his face that doesn’t match the stab wound in his chest.

“I thought he might be the one able to figure out who’s doing this, but I guess that’s not happening… At this rate, we‘ll all be...” Tabasa shudders.

“We’ve gotta do something!” Gardenia says. “What if we split into groups and stay together all the time?”

Tabasa shakes his head. “But there’s five of us left, so even if we did that, it wouldn’t be good for the people who ended up in the pair.”

“No, that has the potential to work.” Dogma’s surprisingly calm under pressure. “Cody and I will be the pair. I trust that my sister is not a murderer.”

“Dogma couldn’t kill a person if his life depended on it,” Cody says. “You three can stick together and you’ll be fine.”

“It’ll be like a sleepover!” Gardenia says, trying to put cheer back into her voice. “You’ll be sorry you missed it.”

Russell casts his eyes towards the church, then to the ground.

* * *

The next morning finds the church burned to a crisp. After dragging both siblings’ bodies out and giving them a proper burial, Tabasa sits with Gardenia and Russell.

“Okay. So I know neither of you guys went anywhere last night,” he says. “And neither of you saw me go anywhere either, right?”

Russell nods.

“So it wasn’t any of us, it was somebody from outside the town after all. I’m… kinda relieved, actually...” Gardenia swallows. “That’s a terrible thing to say, almost all of our friends are dead - but I’m just glad none of them were murderers. That’s… that’s pretty awful, right?”

“Gardenia…” Tabasa pulls her closer to him by a trembling shoulder, and as she starts to cry, he motions for Russell to come closer and join them. He does, reluctantly.

It’s not as though Russell’s been in many group hugs, but he doesn’t think they’re supposed to make you feel like the scum of the earth.

Then again, he hasn’t felt like anything else for days now.

* * *

Despite sleeping in close quarters that night, they find Gardenia’s body at the bottom of the stairs.

After the briefest of funeral services for her, Tabasa and Russell sit on a clean spot of ground and look at each other in silence.

“It’s just you and me left, huh,” Tabasa says.

Russell nods.

“Guess it’ll have to be one of us next…” Tabasa sounds far away. “There were a lot of things I wanted to do with everyone that I’ll never get to do now. Get Cody to pet a monkey, teach Gardenia to keep better track of her things...”

“I wanted to call you big brother,” Russell says, softly.

That brings Tabasa back to here and now. “Well… we’ve probably got about a day before that person does anything, right? So for today… you’re officially my little brother, Russell.”

He finds himself with an armful of Russell in an instant.

* * *

Russell doesn’t go looking for Tabasa’s body. He goes to the Informant instead and says, “I’d like to die now.” He shuts his eyes, and waits.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that. Whether you do it or I do it, it’s still suicide, you know.” The Informant pulls something that sounds like glass out from behind the counter.

“You should do it. This all happened because I was too cowardly,” Russell says.

“...As long as you take responsibility for it, I guess that’s the best you can do.”


End file.
